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The Stalin school of falsification - Marxists Internet Archive

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<strong>Stalin</strong> School <strong>of</strong> Falsification -- Chapter 9<br />

Leon Trotsky's<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Stalin</strong> School <strong>of</strong> Falsification<br />

Transcribed for the Trotsky <strong>Internet</strong> <strong>Archive</strong>, now a sub-archive <strong>of</strong> the Marxist writers' <strong>Internet</strong> <strong>Archive</strong><br />

by David Walters in 1997<br />

Two Speeches at the Session <strong>of</strong> the Central Control Commission<br />

THE PLAN to remove Trotsky from the leadership was conceived back in the period <strong>of</strong> Lenin's first<br />

illness, namely in 1922. Throughout the following year, 1923, the preparatory work proceeded in full<br />

swing. Toward the end <strong>of</strong> the year the campaign was brought into the open. This work was under the<br />

guidance <strong>of</strong> the "triumvirate": <strong>Stalin</strong>, Zinoviev and Kamenev. In 1925, the triumvirate fell apart.<br />

Zinoviev and Kamenev found themselves caught in the wheels <strong>of</strong> the ma chine they had created against<br />

Trotsky. Henceforth the <strong>Stalin</strong>ist faction set itself the task <strong>of</strong> completely transforming the leading staff by<br />

removing from posts all those who had directed the party and the Government under Lenin. At the joint<br />

plenary session <strong>of</strong> the Central Committee and the Central Control Commission,[48] in July 1926, Trotsky<br />

read a declaration which quite accurately foretold the future measures the <strong>Stalin</strong> faction would apply in<br />

order to substitute the <strong>Stalin</strong>ist leadership for the Leninist. In the course <strong>of</strong> the next few years that<br />

program was carried through by the <strong>Stalin</strong>ists in amazing conformity with the predictions made.<br />

<strong>The</strong> most important step on that path was to place Trotsky on trial before the Presidium <strong>of</strong> the Central<br />

Control Commission on charges <strong>of</strong> these two crimes: (1) making "factional" speeches at the Plenum <strong>of</strong><br />

the E.C.C.I.; (2) participating in a farewell demonstration to Smilga, a member <strong>of</strong> the Central Committee,<br />

who, a short time previously, had been sent to the city <strong>of</strong> Khabarovsk in the Far East as punishment for<br />

being in the Opposition. Zinoviev was likewise charged with similar crimes. <strong>The</strong> proposed penalty was<br />

to remove both <strong>of</strong> them from the Central Committee.<br />

We print below the two speeches by Trotsky at the Presidium <strong>of</strong> the Central Control Commission which<br />

sat as the court <strong>of</strong> trial. <strong>The</strong> author has considerably condensed his two speeches wherever questions <strong>of</strong><br />

minor importance were concerned. In other respects the speeches are reprinted as they were delivered<br />

except for minor corrections in style.<br />

THE FIRST SPEECH<br />

TROTSKY: Before proceeding with my speech-and I am in doubt whether I speak here as the defendant<br />

or the accuser -- I must insist on the removal <strong>of</strong> comrade Janson from the judges' bench on the ground<br />

that he is disqualified by his entire previous activity. All <strong>of</strong> you are, <strong>of</strong> course, well aware <strong>of</strong> the fact that<br />

since 1924 there has existed a factional "septemvirate" composed <strong>of</strong> all the members <strong>of</strong> the Political<br />

Bureau, with the exception <strong>of</strong> myself. My own place was taken by your former chairman, Kuibyshev,<br />

who, as was his duty, should have been the foremost guardian <strong>of</strong> party statutes and morals but who was<br />

in fact their foremost violator and corruptor. This septemvirate constituted an illegal and anti-party<br />

institution which disposed <strong>of</strong> the fate <strong>of</strong> the party behind its back. Comrade Zinoviev in one <strong>of</strong> his<br />

http://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/works/1937-st2/sf09.htm (1 <strong>of</strong> 21) [06/06/2002 15:07:02]

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